1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable toilet for household pets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Household pets may need access a toilet to relieve themselves. This is may be particularly the case where pets reside in apartments that do not include back yards. A variety of pet toilets have been developed to facilitate this purpose. For example, a pet owner may construct a toilet out of a box, or tray, with a lining of sand or other absorbent material. The family pet can be trained to urinate or defecate on the sand of the tray which can be later cleaned up by the pet owner. However, pet toilets of this kind typically need frequent changing may be labor intensive and may not be economical.
Pet toilets of the described kind are typically laid open for use by the pet and, as such, the smell of anything laid to rest in the sand of a tray is free to permeate throughout the household. It may not be convenient to frequently clean the sand and, as such, even the most vigilant pet owner may fall victim to the unpleasant odors emanating from a sullied tray. The litter trays generally need to be kept in dry locations, such as a laundry, and cannot typically be used on balconies, for example.
Another difficulty with the described toilet is that the pet typically needs to stand on the tray with its paws in the sand in order to use the toilet. As such, its paws may become soiled with the results of previous visits to the litter box. It may not be hygienic for animals to track paws sullied by the litter box through a house, for example.
Whilst the described pet toilet may be suitable for cats, for example, pet owners may be less inclined to use such toilets for dogs, who tend to be larger and messier than cats. It may be difficult for dog owners who live in houses without backyards to satisfy their dogs toiletry needs. This may be particularly the case where the dog resides in a high rise apartment.
It is generally desirable to overcome or ameliorate one or more of the above mentioned difficulties, or at least provide a useful alternative.